If I Have Type 2 Diabetes, Do I Have to Give Up Alcohol?

If I Have Type 2 Diabetes, Do I Have to Give Up Alcohol? (0:53)

Having type 2 diabetes doesn't mean you have to give up alcohol for good. In this WisePatient video, endocrinologist Athena Philis-Tsimikas, MD, of Scripps Health, explains when alcohol is OK and which kinds of alcoholic drinks you should avoid.

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No, not necessarily, we don't like to take away everybody's pleasures, every pleasure they might have. You can have a glass or two of wine or beer if you'd like. The drinks that are bad for you are the ones that are loaded up with fruit juices, they have a lot of sugar in them, so the tropical fruit drinks probably aren't great.

A little bit of alcohol especially if you're having it with a meal, may be one of the other myths with alcohol is that when you drink alcohol without any food, it actually drops your blood sugar instead it raises you blood sugar. So you just need to be careful if your at risk for hyper glycemia low blood sugar with the medications you're taking and you shouldn't drink alcohol alone.